About Town: Week of November 15

Toronto author David Bezmogis talks about his recent novel The Free World at Congregation Dorshei Emet at 7:30 p.m. His appearance is part of the synagogue’s Blue Emet Arts Festival, which continues Nov. 17 with local filmmaker Alan Handel presenting his documentary Who Sank the Titanic at 8 p.m.; Nov. 18 with McGill University lecturer Esther Frank discussing her work on Yiddish poet Rokhl Korn at 10:30 a.m.; and political scientist/psychoanalyst Blema Steinberg reviewing Erik Larson’s book In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets. 486-9400.

NANOTECHNOLOGY 101

Prof. Yeshayahu Talmon, head of Technion’s Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, speaks on “What is Nano?” at Congregation Adath Israel at 7:30 p.m., sponsored by the Canadian Technion Society. Reservations, montreal@cdntech.org.

Friday, Nov. 16

MATURE SINGLES

Filmmaker and “laughologist” Albert Nerenberg is guest speaker at an evening of food, wine and fun for Jewish singles 45-plus at a Shabbaton at The Chevra synagogue. Iona, 482-3366.

TAX QUESTIONS

“Taxing Affairs: You Have Questions, We Have Answers” is presented at the Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors at 10 a.m. Joyce, 342-1234, ext. 7318.

Saturday, Nov. 17

ON RADIO

American director Phillip B. Roth chats about his new film Confessions of a Self-Hating Jew, which was screened at the Montreal World Film Festival, on Jewish Digest on Radio Centre-Ville 102.3FM at 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, Nov. 18

MARRIAGE ADVICE

Cantor Shmuel Levin concludes his series on how to have a happy marriage with “Say What You Mean, Get What You Need” at Congregation Adath Israel at 7 p.m. Reservations, 912-0515.

JEWISH ART

The vernissage for an exhibition of the works of the Jewish-inspired art of Noah Lubin of Israel, Michel d’Anastasio of France, Montreal’s Haim Sherrf and others will be held at 1 p.m. at Aliyah Arts Galerie, 4270 Côte de Liesse Rd., in conjunction with the Festival Sefarad de Montréal. 731-6666.

Also as part of the festival, Israel: 65 ans en chansons will be presented at the Centre communautaire juif at 8 p.m. The Jewish state’s iconic songs are recalled by Jacques Amar, Kfir Azran and others. http://sefarad.ca.

Local Sephardi crooner Michael Abikhzer launches his first album Magie d’Orient of traditional music at the same venue on Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. He’ll be accompanied by the Andalusian Symphony Orchestra from Israel.

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT

Lauren Kate, author of the Fallen young adult novel series, is the guest speaker at the Jewish Public Library’s annual Girls’ Night Out at 7 p.m. Tickets, 345-2627, ext. 3042.

Tuesday, Nov. 20

BOOK REVIEW

Writer and broadcaster Elaine Kalman Naves reviews the epic wartime love story The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer at the Jewish Public Library at 2 p.m. Tickets, 345-6416.

The Goldman Herzl Family Practice Centre of the Jewish General Hospital is selling choice seats to the Leonard Cohen concert at the Bell Centre Nov. 29 to benefit the Goldman Herzl Centre, which is celebrating 100 years of service. Nancy Rubin, 340-8216…

Canderel CEO Jonathan Wener was honoured with the Fraser Institute’s T. Patrick Boyle Founder’s Award at a recent gala dinner in Montreal. The Vancouver-based public policy think tank recognized Wener as “a titan of Canadian business”as head of the real estate development and management company he founded 40 years ago, as well as for his philanthropy, notably his launching of the Défi Corporatif Canderel, which has raised more than $7 million for cancer research since 1989…

Seventy-six-year-old Paul Steiner, a resident at Maison Paternelle, finally was able to celebrate his bar mitzvah, in a bittersweet ceremony at the residence’s synagogue. After he was called to the Torah, Steiner recounted that as a child in Budapest, Hungary during World War II and its aftermath, a bar mitzvah was out of the question. When his parents and sister were deported to the death camps, he hid with his grandmother until the war ended. Maison Paternelle director Eli Wohlgemuth urged Steiner that is was not too late. Proudly wearing a traditional black hat that his wife bought him in Hungary for the occasion, Steiner said, “Today is very special because I am sure [his family’s] souls are here with me on my bar mitzvah, which should have taken place in 1950.”…

Montrealer Barbara Shrier’s The Year Dolly Parton was My Mother won best feature at the Los Angeles Femme International Film Festival. Joyce Borenstein, also of Montreal, took home the prize for best animated short for her film Mother’s Colours. She was recently awarded the Queen’s 60th Jubilee Medal for artistic achievement and is delighted that a street in St. Laurent has been named for her late artist father – Place Sam Borenstein. Her earlier full-length film The Colours of My Father received wide acclaim...

In the literary sphere, Monique Polak’s Pyro (Orca Book Publishers) is one of three finalists for the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Winners will be announced on Nov. 20… Endre Farkas and Carolyn Marie Souaid were prize winners at the Zebra International Poetry Film Festival, held in Berlin, for their video-poem Blood is Blood. This very personal look at the Middle East conflict from their differing perspectives won in the category of best film for tolerance, earning them 3,000 euros, sponsored by the German foreign office…

The Friendship Circle’s Walk4Friendship in Hampstead Park raised close to its $500,000 goal, thanks to matching funds from Groupe Yellow Inc.